The Civil War News & Views Open Discussion Forum

Yes, that is correct about the lack of cooperations between the various commands and Lee' NOT being in overall command until 1865.

However there was much correspondence between Richmond and The Trans-Mississippi about sending additional Texas Units east if not to Richmond then at least to Vicksburg.

One such correspondence was a partial reply to one of these request in O.R.'s series 1, vol. 13, Chapter 25, pages 928-929. dated November 25th 1862 to General Samuel Cooper, from General T. H. Holmes;

GENERAL: It is my duty to inform you of the state of affairs here in justification of my failure to comply with your telegraphic suggestion that I should send 10,000 men to Vicksburg. I have heretofore informed you that my advance division, 7,000 or 8,000 strong, had been driven from Northwest Arkansas, and it was only rallied at the Boston Mountains, and the enemy forces to return for supplies to Missouri, being unwilling to risk a battle. General Hindman reports to me that the main body (16,000 strong) is near the line in Benton City, Ark. What reserve they have at Springfield is not known, through probably several thousand. General Hindman's infantry force is probably equal to this, and is now near Fort Smith, where it can be subsisted and the demoralized troops reorganized and reassured under officers who will restore their confidence. His best cavalry is thrown forward near the enemy, and I think will give ample protection to the Indian country. You will see that it would be perfectly unsafe to remove any part of that command. At Helena the enemy have a force of 15,000. Last week they made a strong demonstration on my unfinished fortifications at the Post of Arkansas [Arkansas Post], but on trial their transports drew too much water, and the column they sent by land retired after reaching the White River, opposite. To defend the fortifications I have between 4,000 and 5,000 men, under General Churchill, and to cover Little Rock. I have three brigades at Brownsville, near General McCulloch, and a brigade of cavalry, under General Hawes, on White River, with heavy pickets always near Helena to watch the enemy's movements. The distance to the Post from Brownsville is about 80 miles, and my hope is by keeping a close watch near Helena that I will be able to concentrate the two commands to resist an advance. If I leave here there is little doubt the valley of Arkansas will be taken possession of, and with it goes Arkansas and Louisiana, for there is nothing to subsist an army on between the Arkansas and Red Rivers, the intermediate region having been depleted by the drought of last year. The only thing that I have felt myself justified in doing is to order General Scurry, with Sibley's brigade, strengthened by two regiments from Texas, to proceed to Vicksburg as rapidly as possible. As I wrote to you, General Rains, for his drunkenness when the enemy advanced from Missouri, has been directed to resign. I hope his resignation may be accepted, as the shortest way of getting rid of him. If the witnesses can be had General Cooper will be brought before a court of inquiry under Orders, Numbers 38, through he denies the charges made against him by Captain Mackey, C. S. Engineers, emphatically. Mr. Boudinot writes to me that our Indian relations will soon be in a satisfactory condition and the Indians satisfied. I have ordered them paid and clothed, and hereafter they shall be used by only as Home Guards and treated in every respect as to pay and clothing like our own troops. The clothing diverted from them a month ago was divided between them and the white troops pro rate. Both were naked, and I wanted no grumbling. The clothing for the white troops has arrived and is now being distributed in the same way. On the arrival of Major-General McCown I will leave him here and pay the Indians a visit. In the mean time I think all will be well with them if the Federals are kept away from their country. Captain J. W. Dunnington, C. S. Navy, was appointed a colonel in the Provisional Army by General Hindman. He has acted in that capacity ever since. All the guns in our fortifications were taken from his boas, and he is the only officer I have fit to command them. In order that he may exercise command over the very ignorant colonels who command the two regiments designated to defend the forts I earnestly request that his appointment may be confirmed, even if only by temporary rank, to take effect from June 1 last.

As we know these men never arrived at Vicksburg, or anywhere else east of the Mississippi. My question is that once these exchanged men from Arkansas Post were no longer under the Trans Mississippi command and control system by being exchanged at City point Virginia instead of within the Trans Miississippi departments, and could not reasonable be returned to their home theater of operations by confederate authorities, Why were they not retained in Virginia as replacements and reenforcements to the A.N.V.?

If the argument is that they were supposed to reenforce Vicksburg in the first place, why were they not sent to Joe Johnson Command in Mississippi instead of Braggs in Tennessee?

These troops seemed like they were "Ophans" and that nobody wanted them after they were exchanged and Bragg was the luckless commander that got stuck with them. That seems a little silly given the habitual lack of manpower that the south had in all theaters